Personal, academic and professional development relevant to your life, discipline or career(Have you developed in any way as a person, a scholar or a professional during your studies in the unit?)
As a person my development has been in the area of my whole and responsibility in the world. The unit has helped me transform from being just and individual thriving for personal wellbeing and goals to a global citizen. I now view myself as a significant part of the world in transformation, as an actor with a very important role to part especially in contributing to the transformation of the current world into a better, more peaceful and sustainable world. This combines my personal, academic and professional goals into one. My academic understanding of the world as it is today with its wicked problems and great potential is also being manifested in my personal transformation to take responsibility to change the world. I can no longer participate in any actions or habits contributing the destruction of the world, no can i support any organization or corporation engaged in or producing goods at the expense of the world or environment. This fulfills the goal of learning, knowing and acting.
Knowledge of facts, trends, concepts, perspectives and worldviews essential for an understanding of the 21st century
(What facts have you learned or what ideas or understandings have you gained about the world?)
The first point of interest was understanding the two world perspective of James Martin and Matt Ridley. Beyond a mere distinction between two individuals, the two positions represent two major worldviews of many thinkers, political, corporate and institutional leaders and people around the globe. One position being a view that considers the current state of the world as alarming and the future as most likely dire because of the magnitude and complexity of current and evergrowing problems of the planet like climatic change and terrorism. On the other hand the second perspective views the planet in a very optimistic way, mavelling at the past accomplishments of human genius through technology and relying on its capacity to solve all major problems and deliver humanity into a golden age of prosperity.
I have also gained an understanding of wicked problems and their complexity. The world is currently face with many wicked problems like water shortages and climatic change. This wicked problems are difficult to understand and to solve in that the require participation from multiparties, they are connected to other problems and ever-changing in nature.
The ability to investigate global, regional and local issues
(What have you learned about investigating global, regional and local issues through your project?)
The project has allowed me the opportunity to focus on a specific issue in depth and from a multidisciplinary perspective. This process requires the ability to firstly understand the nature of the problems being investigated thereby allowing me to create a frame work of investigating the issue. This also involves understaning the various disciplines involved in the problems or the issue, e.g does the issue have a political, economic, environmental, anthropological, historical and cultural perspective. How do the various disciplinary perspectives view the issue and what facts, figure, data and information can be gathered for each disciplinary perspective. Then how do the various perspective relate to each other, and how can they be harmonized towards one meaning goal or conclusion.
The ability to locate and critically evaluate online information
(How does your project demonstrate the ability to locate and critically evaluate online information?)
My project demostrate ability to locate online information, because my the information is thoroughly detailed and relevant in context. Each disciplinary perspective for the project issues is supported by up to date information. I searched from several websites to find information on each issue or topics and weeded out information not coming from well supported sources, thereby distinguishing the different between facts and opinions from individual or different institutions. Another point of interest was that information on the same subject, graphs, facts and figures tended to differ based on when the article was written or when the research was done.
The ability to use different modes of inquiry or methods of research
(How have you used the interdisciplinary research method in your project?)
The steps i used for Interdisciplinary research and Project layout and structure
- Defining the problem
-Identifying relevant disciplinary perspectives
-Conducting online research
-Developing a basic understanding of each relevant discipline
-Analysing the problem and evaluating each insight into it
- Identify conflicts between insights and their sources
- Creating a common ground and integrating insights into a unified holistic view
I analysed the project issue from several disciplinary perspective. My project is about Sustainable Urban Habitats. I analysed the problems of current urban habitats from, an environmental perspective - how are urban habitats affecting the environment through air, land and water pollution, and how does this does this environmental compromise affect the quality of the habitat
an energy perspective - the challenges urban habitats face in relationship to energy; the costs and accessiblity of energy, sustainability, the problems of the quality of energy used and its impact on the environment
a health perspective - the health problems connected of urban habitats, effects of pollution of urban dwellers
a transportation perspective - transport problems in urban environments, especially the relationship between mode of transport, and its relationship to pollution and health
a population perspective - the problems of high unsustainable urban populations and how they compromise quality of habitats and environment.
- After compiling the various disciplinary perspectives on the habitat problems, I then looked for interdisciplinary and holistic solutions to the problems, thereby finding unifying solution that solve the problems from each dsciplinary standpoint without compromising other disciplinary solutions.
Identify the various disciplines that can provide insights into particular problems
(How does your project identify and make use of range perspectives that provide insights into the problem?)
I analysed the project issue from several disciplinary perspective. My project is about Sustainable Urban Habitats. I analysed the problems of current urban habitats from, an environmental perspective - how are urban habitats affecting the environment through air, land and water pollution, and how does this does this environmental compromise affect the quality of the habitat
an energy perspective - the challenges urban habitats face in relationship to energy; the costs and accessiblity of energy, sustainability, the problems of the quality of energy used and its impact on the environment
a health perspective - the health problems connected of urban habitats, effects of pollution of urban dwellers
a transportation perspective - transport problems in urban environments, especially the relationship between mode of transport, and its relationship to pollution and health
a population perspective - the problems of high unsustainable urban populations and how they compromise quality of habitats and environment.
- After compiling the various disciplinary perspectives on the habitat problems, I then looked for interdisciplinary and holistic solutions to the problems, thereby finding unifying solution that solve the problems from each dsciplinary standpoint without compromising other disciplinary solutions.
The ability to use creative, critical and reflective thinking
(How do your project (including project work), forum posts, critical reflections and learning journal demonstrate creative (integrating, synthesising), critical (analysing, evaluating) and reflective thinking?)
My work reflects creative, critical and reflctive thinking in that i was able to choose challenges issues, or handle challenging topics in depths. My project refllected great creativity in it approach, layout and depths. I used usefull and powerful information from the internet, including graphs, images, statistics and videos to create complelling arguements. This approach resulted in a clear, visually appealing, and easy to follow project good for public viewing and compaigning. I was able to argue each point effectively from a multidisciplinary perspective and create a holistic view on the subject.
My forum posts and critical reflections reflected an understanding of each topic based on the reading material, then an ability to depart or critic the written literature on each topic and view the issues from my own personal perspective, putting in my experience, thoughts and perspectives into the subject, then trying to harmonize or relate each to the authors' perspectives as well as the other contributers to forum posts.
The ability to use online forums to collaboratively build knowledge and share ideas
(Was this the first time you have participated in online forums? Have you learned new skills in participating in the forums? How have you used the forums to collaboratively build knowledge and share ideas?)
I have participated in many oline forums before. In the past I tended to be too preoccupied with merely pushing my owm perspectives and beliefs on other people, but the unit forums gave me a new understanding of how to harmonize my perspectives with other people's contributions. I have learnt a lot from other people's contributions on the forums. I have seen how a group of people can view the same issue from many perspectives, in the same way as how one issue can be viewed from multidisciplinary
perspectives. This allowed me to be able to develop my sense of stepping outside my own mental and environmental box and see things from many angles without simply holding on to one.
The ability to create basic websites (using Wikispaces) of value to the broader community
(Have you learned new skills in learning to use Wikispaces? What skills have your learned Was it an achievement to overcome the technological hurdle of using this technology for the first time? What does the ability to use Wikispaces enable you to do?)
Creating the project through wikispace and very interesting, and it developed my ability to put researched material, images and videos together to convey and powerful and meaning message. This same use of technology can be used to create many public projects for compaigns towards specific causes and issues.
The ability to connect or collaborate with people, networks or organizations in the broader community
(Have you shared your learning in the unit with others? Have you contacted or collaborated with any people, networks or organizations outside the course in developing your project?)
I have shared many articles from the unit with people i work with as well as through my facebook page. I also created a blog where i intend to continued publish issues connected to sustainability http://thingsandtimes.blogspot.com/
I also connected with several organizations dealing with issues on sustainable habitats and joined several mailing lists to receive articles and publications.
The capacity for action and leadership in addressing complex issues
(What skills have you developed relevant to action and leadership in addressing complex issues?)
The first lesson I learnt was the ability and importance to understanding a complex problem clearly. One can not effectively lead or act without clearly understanding a problem and its complexity. This can be achieved through multidisciplinary research, collecting or gathering information from literature, online and visiting people and places, then sorting the information in a meaningful way and understaning it holistically. Action and leaders after understanding the problem requires the ability to collaborate with various stackholders and unfiying perspectives and action towards solutions.
Unit specific criteria
Appreciate the scope and complexity of the challenges and opportunities facing humanity in the 21st century
(What do you now understand about the challenges and opportunities facing humanity? What are some of the main challenges and opportunities? How are they impacting on humanity and the planet? How are they interrelated and connected to other factors like human needs, motivations and values?
Some major problems of the 21st Century include :
resource shortages - earth's resources like water, minerals, and fertile soil, are finite and under rapid decline
climatic change - excessive amounts of carbon dioxide are being released into the atmosphere, global warming on the increase threatens fresh water supply, and coastal lands
excessive population growth - overpopultion will exceed the planet's ability to sustain
extreme poverty -billions of people today live in extreme poverty while a few control world's wealth
terrorism- increase in terrorist activities, and non- state actors with extreme weapons
wars and conflicts - wars and conflicts still exists in some parts of the world
water shortages - with many rivers and aquifers running dry farming will be greatly affected and fresh drinking water will become more scarce
economic collapse - recent incidence of global economic failure threans the future of the world unless new economic models are created
- Besides the basic needs of food and shelter, humans have a great need for inner fulfillment and spiritual as well as family and community values. If their lives are threaned by violence from limited resources or floods it is impossible for their to achieve their inner values. Values and inner motivation need a stable and peace external environment.
Recognise the need for an interdisciplinary approach to these challenges
(What do you now understand about the need for interdisciplinary approaches?)
The main reason for applying interdisciplinary approaches is to achieve effective understanding of complex issues. Comples issues cannot be understood clearly from just on perspective. Without clear understanding one cannot provide clear and effective solutions. Attempts to understand and solve problems from single disciplinary approaches lead to fragmented and conflicting views. Conflicted and fragmented views the lead to no unfiyied solution. Interdisciplinary approaches allows for unified and holistic understanding of issues then a unfiying solution involving various stakeholders.
The ability to integrate or synthesize ideas from various perspectives
(What have you learned about integrating or synthesizing ideas from different perspectives?)
I have learnt how to intergrate different prespectives, by firstly identifying issues or problems, researching or gathering information about the issue from various sources, analysing the information from a various perspectives, then looking for areas of disciplinary conflicts and then looking for ways to reconcile them, and then looking for the commonground or areas of agreement and creating one holistic view.
8801 Achievements
Personal, academic and professional development relevant to your life, discipline or career(Have you developed in any way as a person, a scholar or a professional during your studies in the unit?)As a person my development has been in the area of my whole and responsibility in the world. The unit has helped me transform from being just and individual thriving for personal wellbeing and goals to a global citizen. I now view myself as a significant part of the world in transformation, as an actor with a very important role to part especially in contributing to the transformation of the current world into a better, more peaceful and sustainable world. This combines my personal, academic and professional goals into one. My academic understanding of the world as it is today with its wicked problems and great potential is also being manifested in my personal transformation to take responsibility to change the world. I can no longer participate in any actions or habits contributing the destruction of the world, no can i support any organization or corporation engaged in or producing goods at the expense of the world or environment. This fulfills the goal of learning, knowing and acting.
Knowledge of facts, trends, concepts, perspectives and worldviews essential for an understanding of the 21st century
(What facts have you learned or what ideas or understandings have you gained about the world?)The first point of interest was understanding the two world perspective of James Martin and Matt Ridley. Beyond a mere distinction between two individuals, the two positions represent two major worldviews of many thinkers, political, corporate and institutional leaders and people around the globe. One position being a view that considers the current state of the world as alarming and the future as most likely dire because of the magnitude and complexity of current and evergrowing problems of the planet like climatic change and terrorism. On the other hand the second perspective views the planet in a very optimistic way, mavelling at the past accomplishments of human genius through technology and relying on its capacity to solve all major problems and deliver humanity into a golden age of prosperity.
I have also gained an understanding of wicked problems and their complexity. The world is currently face with many wicked problems like water shortages and climatic change. This wicked problems are difficult to understand and to solve in that the require participation from multiparties, they are connected to other problems and ever-changing in nature.
The ability to investigate global, regional and local issues
(What have you learned about investigating global, regional and local issues through your project?)The project has allowed me the opportunity to focus on a specific issue in depth and from a multidisciplinary perspective. This process requires the ability to firstly understand the nature of the problems being investigated thereby allowing me to create a frame work of investigating the issue. This also involves understaning the various disciplines involved in the problems or the issue, e.g does the issue have a political, economic, environmental, anthropological, historical and cultural perspective. How do the various disciplinary perspectives view the issue and what facts, figure, data and information can be gathered for each disciplinary perspective. Then how do the various perspective relate to each other, and how can they be harmonized towards one meaning goal or conclusion.
The ability to locate and critically evaluate online information
(How does your project demonstrate the ability to locate and critically evaluate online information?)My project demostrate ability to locate online information, because my the information is thoroughly detailed and relevant in context. Each disciplinary perspective for the project issues is supported by up to date information. I searched from several websites to find information on each issue or topics and weeded out information not coming from well supported sources, thereby distinguishing the different between facts and opinions from individual or different institutions. Another point of interest was that information on the same subject, graphs, facts and figures tended to differ based on when the article was written or when the research was done.
The ability to use different modes of inquiry or methods of research
(How have you used the interdisciplinary research method in your project?)The steps i used for Interdisciplinary research and Project layout and structure
- Defining the problem
-Identifying relevant disciplinary perspectives
-Conducting online research
-Developing a basic understanding of each relevant discipline
-Analysing the problem and evaluating each insight into it
- Identify conflicts between insights and their sources
- Creating a common ground and integrating insights into a unified holistic view
I analysed the project issue from several disciplinary perspective. My project is about Sustainable Urban Habitats. I analysed the problems of current urban habitats from, an environmental perspective - how are urban habitats affecting the environment through air, land and water pollution, and how does this does this environmental compromise affect the quality of the habitat
an energy perspective - the challenges urban habitats face in relationship to energy; the costs and accessiblity of energy, sustainability, the problems of the quality of energy used and its impact on the environment
a health perspective - the health problems connected of urban habitats, effects of pollution of urban dwellers
a transportation perspective - transport problems in urban environments, especially the relationship between mode of transport, and its relationship to pollution and health
a population perspective - the problems of high unsustainable urban populations and how they compromise quality of habitats and environment.
- After compiling the various disciplinary perspectives on the habitat problems, I then looked for interdisciplinary and holistic solutions to the problems, thereby finding unifying solution that solve the problems from each dsciplinary standpoint without compromising other disciplinary solutions.
Identify the various disciplines that can provide insights into particular problems
(How does your project identify and make use of range perspectives that provide insights into the problem?)I analysed the project issue from several disciplinary perspective. My project is about Sustainable Urban Habitats. I analysed the problems of current urban habitats from, an environmental perspective - how are urban habitats affecting the environment through air, land and water pollution, and how does this does this environmental compromise affect the quality of the habitat
an energy perspective - the challenges urban habitats face in relationship to energy; the costs and accessiblity of energy, sustainability, the problems of the quality of energy used and its impact on the environment
a health perspective - the health problems connected of urban habitats, effects of pollution of urban dwellers
a transportation perspective - transport problems in urban environments, especially the relationship between mode of transport, and its relationship to pollution and health
a population perspective - the problems of high unsustainable urban populations and how they compromise quality of habitats and environment.
- After compiling the various disciplinary perspectives on the habitat problems, I then looked for interdisciplinary and holistic solutions to the problems, thereby finding unifying solution that solve the problems from each dsciplinary standpoint without compromising other disciplinary solutions.
The ability to use creative, critical and reflective thinking
(How do your project (including project work), forum posts, critical reflections and learning journal demonstrate creative (integrating, synthesising), critical (analysing, evaluating) and reflective thinking?)My work reflects creative, critical and reflctive thinking in that i was able to choose challenges issues, or handle challenging topics in depths. My project refllected great creativity in it approach, layout and depths. I used usefull and powerful information from the internet, including graphs, images, statistics and videos to create complelling arguements. This approach resulted in a clear, visually appealing, and easy to follow project good for public viewing and compaigning. I was able to argue each point effectively from a multidisciplinary perspective and create a holistic view on the subject.
My forum posts and critical reflections reflected an understanding of each topic based on the reading material, then an ability to depart or critic the written literature on each topic and view the issues from my own personal perspective, putting in my experience, thoughts and perspectives into the subject, then trying to harmonize or relate each to the authors' perspectives as well as the other contributers to forum posts.
The ability to use online forums to collaboratively build knowledge and share ideas
(Was this the first time you have participated in online forums? Have you learned new skills in participating in the forums? How have you used the forums to collaboratively build knowledge and share ideas?)I have participated in many oline forums before. In the past I tended to be too preoccupied with merely pushing my owm perspectives and beliefs on other people, but the unit forums gave me a new understanding of how to harmonize my perspectives with other people's contributions. I have learnt a lot from other people's contributions on the forums. I have seen how a group of people can view the same issue from many perspectives, in the same way as how one issue can be viewed from multidisciplinary
perspectives. This allowed me to be able to develop my sense of stepping outside my own mental and environmental box and see things from many angles without simply holding on to one.
The ability to create basic websites (using Wikispaces) of value to the broader community
(Have you learned new skills in learning to use Wikispaces? What skills have your learned Was it an achievement to overcome the technological hurdle of using this technology for the first time? What does the ability to use Wikispaces enable you to do?)Creating the project through wikispace and very interesting, and it developed my ability to put researched material, images and videos together to convey and powerful and meaning message. This same use of technology can be used to create many public projects for compaigns towards specific causes and issues.
The ability to connect or collaborate with people, networks or organizations in the broader community
(Have you shared your learning in the unit with others? Have you contacted or collaborated with any people, networks or organizations outside the course in developing your project?)I have shared many articles from the unit with people i work with as well as through my facebook page. I also created a blog where i intend to continued publish issues connected to sustainability
http://thingsandtimes.blogspot.com/
I also connected with several organizations dealing with issues on sustainable habitats and joined several mailing lists to receive articles and publications.
The capacity for action and leadership in addressing complex issues
(What skills have you developed relevant to action and leadership in addressing complex issues?)The first lesson I learnt was the ability and importance to understanding a complex problem clearly. One can not effectively lead or act without clearly understanding a problem and its complexity. This can be achieved through multidisciplinary research, collecting or gathering information from literature, online and visiting people and places, then sorting the information in a meaningful way and understaning it holistically. Action and leaders after understanding the problem requires the ability to collaborate with various stackholders and unfiying perspectives and action towards solutions.
Unit specific criteria
Appreciate the scope and complexity of the challenges and opportunities facing humanity in the 21st century
(What do you now understand about the challenges and opportunities facing humanity? What are some of the main challenges and opportunities? How are they impacting on humanity and the planet? How are they interrelated and connected to other factors like human needs, motivations and values?Some major problems of the 21st Century include :
resource shortages - earth's resources like water, minerals, and fertile soil, are finite and under rapid decline
climatic change - excessive amounts of carbon dioxide are being released into the atmosphere, global warming on the increase threatens fresh water supply, and coastal lands
excessive population growth - overpopultion will exceed the planet's ability to sustain
extreme poverty -billions of people today live in extreme poverty while a few control world's wealth
terrorism- increase in terrorist activities, and non- state actors with extreme weapons
wars and conflicts - wars and conflicts still exists in some parts of the world
water shortages - with many rivers and aquifers running dry farming will be greatly affected and fresh drinking water will become more scarce
economic collapse - recent incidence of global economic failure threans the future of the world unless new economic models are created
- Besides the basic needs of food and shelter, humans have a great need for inner fulfillment and spiritual as well as family and community values. If their lives are threaned by violence from limited resources or floods it is impossible for their to achieve their inner values. Values and inner motivation need a stable and peace external environment.
Recognise the need for an interdisciplinary approach to these challenges
(What do you now understand about the need for interdisciplinary approaches?)The main reason for applying interdisciplinary approaches is to achieve effective understanding of complex issues. Comples issues cannot be understood clearly from just on perspective. Without clear understanding one cannot provide clear and effective solutions. Attempts to understand and solve problems from single disciplinary approaches lead to fragmented and conflicting views. Conflicted and fragmented views the lead to no unfiyied solution. Interdisciplinary approaches allows for unified and holistic understanding of issues then a unfiying solution involving various stakeholders.
The ability to integrate or synthesize ideas from various perspectives
(What have you learned about integrating or synthesizing ideas from different perspectives?)I have learnt how to intergrate different prespectives, by firstly identifying issues or problems, researching or gathering information about the issue from various sources, analysing the information from a various perspectives, then looking for areas of disciplinary conflicts and then looking for ways to reconcile them, and then looking for the commonground or areas of agreement and creating one holistic view.